Within the Senju clan compound of the Leaf Village.
A blonde woman was holding her son.
She was playing with him.
Having given birth, her chest had become significantly fuller, which caused her some inconvenience.
However, it was more than enough to keep the child well-fed.
Holding her baby, she felt a profound sense of happiness, and there was another little life growing in her belly.
Soon, she would likely experience double the joy.
On the other side of the room, Shizune was also holding a child.
The two children were close in age and shared the same father.
Shizune was also pregnant.
Although she had never imagined sharing a man with Shizune, such matters no longer bothered her.
A maid entered the room at that moment to give a report.
"Lady Tsunade, Consultant Elder Shikaku has sent a messenger. He requests your presence at the Hokage Building to discuss an important matter."
Tsunade was slightly puzzled. 'What could be so important that he needs me?'
She felt a bit guilty for leaving everything for Shikaku to handle.
Shikaku was doing a fine job; he was truly an exceptional talent.
He kept the village running in perfect order.
But as the Fifth Hokage, how could she take a leave of absence every single day?
Besides, there was an important matter this time.
Shikaku wouldn't bother her if it weren't important.
She handed the infant in her arms to Shizune.
"Shizune, watch the baby for me. I'll be back in a moment."
"Of course, Lady Tsunade."
Shizune took the child as instructed. Even with two babies in her arms, she found it quite easy.
She had managed to keep even someone as difficult to please as Lady Tsunade in perfect order.
Two little children were a breeze by comparison.
Although she was over a month pregnant, her belly didn't show yet, so it didn't affect her work.
Tsunade headed outside and followed the messenger toward the Hokage Building.
On the way, she asked the staff member why Shikaku had summoned her, but the person didn't know.
She would have to ask Shikaku in person at the Hokage Building.
It didn't take long for her to arrive.
At the same time, the other two consultants had also arrived.
They were Uchiha Fugaku and Hyūga Hiashi.
The two greeted Tsunade politely upon seeing her.
"Lady Tsunade."
They could both naturally sense the change in her.
It was far too obvious.
She had essentially evolved from a young maiden into a mature woman.
Fugaku certainly knew why Tsunade had changed; it was because she had borne Ryōsuke's child.
His heart was filled with joy.
A member of the Uchiha clan had conquered the successor of the Senju clan.
This represented the total conquest of the Senju by the Uchiha.
The Senju had naturally suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of his Uchiha clan.
Hyūga Hiashi also began to understand why Fugaku had withdrawn from the Hokage election.
He couldn't help but feel a deep sense of envy.
Since Lady Tsunade had become Ryōsuke's woman, she could practically be considered part of the Uchiha clan now.
In that case, the position of Hokage still effectively belonged to the Uchiha.
There was no way Tsunade would mistreat the Uchiha clan.
She certainly wouldn't suppress the Uchiha like the Third Hokage did.
Therefore, the actual title of Hokage was secondary.
He was even a bit envious that Tsunade could latch onto a powerhouse like Uchiha Ryōsuke.
This was extremely beneficial for Lady Tsunade.
Although Uchiha Ryōsuke hadn't made many appearances over the past two years and Hiashi hadn't had much contact with him...
...even a brief encounter was enough to sense the massive, looming aura within him.
It was terrifying.
He even felt that even if the boy didn't use the Eight Inner Gates, he would be no match for him in a pure Taijutsu duel.
This was his intuition.
When a man of his level had such a premonition, it was almost certainly correct.
This meant that the other man's strength had grown once more.
They were no longer on the same level, although they hadn't been for some time.
That was because the other possessed forbidden techniques like the Eight Inner Gates, which were so difficult to master.
Along with those invincible Mangekyō Sharingan.
This man's current strength was truly horrifying.
Compared to him, his own daughter was simply too weak.
It was mainly her timid personality.
She completely lacked the poise expected of a successor to the Main House.
How could she lead the Hyūga family in the future?
Her innate talent wasn't weak; it was purely a personality issue.
If she weren't so young, he would have wanted to marry her to Ryōsuke.
He was handsome and powerful.
There was no better choice for a son-in-law.
Latching onto such a powerhouse would bring the Hyūga clan nothing but benefits.
As for the clan rule forbidding the leakage of the Byakugan...
...he actually found it a bit cruel now.
It was because of this rule that every clansman had to be branded with the Caged Bird Curse Mark.
And the process of applying that seal was agonizing.
The fact that the seal allowed the Main House to control the lives of the Branch House members at will made some clansmen extremely uncomfortable.
This was bound to become a source of trouble sooner or later.
He knew it would only make the conflict between the Main House and the Branch House more acute.
But at this stage, there was no other way.
As Tsunade stepped into the Hokage's office, he stopped his wandering thoughts and followed the other two inside.
Then, he sat down on a sofa.
Shikaku sat opposite them, his expression grim.
He was pondering the next course of action, but no matter how he thought, there was no definitive solution.
Tsunade looked at the heavy-faced Shikaku.
"What happened that made you call all three of us here?"
The other two were also curious.
Currently, the village was calm, and development was going well.
There were no wars outside the village.
Usually, they wouldn't come to the Hokage Building without a reason; given their status, they didn't need to punch a clock every day.
Shikaku didn't even have time to pour tea; he got straight to the point.
"A messenger from the Cloud Village just arrived with very bad news."
"Uchiha Madara attacked the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki, Killer B, and kidnapped him."
The other three in the office were stunned by his words.
The air in the room seemed to freeze instantly.
The name 'Uchiha Madara' simply carried too much weight; he was a man whose strength ranked in the top three of Leaf Village's history.
Because now there was also Uchiha Ryōsuke.
Madara was a man who could be compared to the God of Shinobi, Hashirama Senju.
A man who once sought to destroy the Leaf Village.
Fugaku's face was solemn. 'Is that man actually still alive?'
This was definitely not good.
Because that man wanted to destroy the Leaf Village, which meant he would naturally want to destroy the Uchiha clan living within it as well.
The other was no longer a member of the Uchiha clan.
He was an enemy.
##Discount##
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